Maximum Ride:The twilight experiment
by Aoife.Tierney
Summary: Max has been abandoned by the flock. With no where else to go she finds Jeb and they try to start a new life in Forks. T for now. A/N Bella isn't in this & Cullens are vamps.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N- I know my title is crap, if you have any ideas please tell me I would appreciate it.**

Prologue

They left me.

My flock, my family, they all abandoned me. It was hard to admit but it was the truth and I can't live in denial forever, I had been tossed aside by the people I loved because of reasons I'm still not even sure of. I had tought at first they had been tricked or brainwashed by the school agents but eventually I had to ditch that idea, no matter how much I wanted to believe it, because when I last saw them I was the one in the hands of the erasers and they were flying away; free as a bird.

Why you ask, would they betray me?

Based on what Total's told me it was because of _him._

That son of a bitch turned them against me. I loved him-ish, he was the only boy I've ever loved, or as close to love as I've ever gotten, but more importantly I've saved his life like a million times.

Even my baby, my Angel, left me.

In my mind I could see her angelic face smiling at me with those clear blue eyes thst just oozed innocence, the mental image caused a massive throbbing pain to begin in the centre of my chest. I shook my head hoping the image would fall out but sadly the human brain doesn't work that way and the pain stayed were it was.

I was alone now, the rational side of my brain knew that wasnt true, I had Total. Total had become very loyal since the incident and didn't like to be too far away from me, it's less out of actual loyalty and more out of consern for my mental stability, or maybe he thinks I'll leave too, my moneys on the first option though.

Oh and Jeb. Can't forget him. No matter how much I try.

(flash back)

"Max." I heard Fang call me from across the little camp site we had set up. I had been watching the rabbit cook on the open fire and looked up to see the whole flock looking at me.

They were all gathered together on the other side of the fire, their position was odd normally, Angel was by my side and the others would be scattered about doing their own thing. What worried me more than their "us and you" position was their facial expressions. There was a steel I hadn't seen before, almost like they were going into battle.

"We've been talking." Nudge spoke this time, I looked into her eyes and she quickly shifted her gaze to the floor.

"About what?" I asked slowly, I was nervous. This sort of thing had never happened before, we didn't keep secrets, at least not big ones.

All of these awful scenarios's flashed through my head, I instantly discarded them as nonsense. It seems stupid and naive now but I trusted the flock with my life, I was sure they would never leave me.

"Well, you've been our leader since the begining and we feel...how do I put this...you're pulling us down." Fang was talking again, my eyes scutinized him looking for signs that he was joking. Realising he wasn't I started to panic, a million thoughts rushed through my mind; Pulling them down? What did that even mean? Why were they talking behind my back? Why does Nudge look guilty?

"I don't get it. Is this a joke or something?" My breathing was heavly and I know I sounded needed, I was ashamed of my behaviour but it was like I had lost control over my body.

"No, Max. I...we want a new leader."

I stayed silent, what was I supposed to say? I had finaly caught on, probably not as quickly as I should have. I could feel the tears in my eyes threatening to fall, luckly I had enough pride and control left not to let them and not to beg. I was Maximum Ride. Maximum Ride does not beg. Period.

"I have taken the liberty of contacting someone to...help you"

"Help me?" He sounded so cruel, I had never heard him use that voice before, and I hate to admit it did scare me.

A few seconds later the erasers turned up, just as ugly as ever. There were so many of them, they were coming from everywhere. I was caged in.

I don't like thinking of the fight. At the end of it I was more bruised and bloody than ever before. I realised early on that I couldn't win so I resorted to running away, when I jumped into the air and flung my wings out pain shot through my right wing, later I found out three bones in my wing had been broken. I don't know how far I flew that night but it took me hours of swirving and evasive maneuvers to loose them. Eventually I passed out in the middle of some forest. I woke up to Total. Not pleasant by the way. At first I thought that meant it was all a dream, but when I moved pain shot through me. Turns out he didn't know Fang had called the school. How did he even contact them? Anyway Total didn't think it was right, he told me Fang had been turning them aganst me for months. How had I not seen? Well, I knew the answer to that; I trusted them. I thought we were a family.

(End flashback)

For three weeks after that Total and I were homeless, pennyless and starving. I didn't want to get my mom mixed up in all of this so we had no choice but to track down Jeb.

My life sucks.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter two

It's been about three months since the incident, now Jeb Total and I were in a taxi on the way to the airport. I had not been asked if I wanted to move, it was a choice Jeb made on his own, much to my annoyance. I hated it when he acted like a parent, I wasn't a child he should no that more than anyone. We had been living in Washington D.C because Jeb had to finish up some business with the government, I didn't know the details and frankly I didn't want to.

We were moving to Washington, State, you'd think D.C would be in Washington like New York city's in New York State but it's not, that was explained to me by a smug looking Total. After extensive googleing I've decided I'm going to like Washington; it's quite rainy and cloudy so I should get to fly every night.

The flight to Port Angeles was boring and uneventful, I had a minor claustrophobia issue but that passed when I fell asleep an hour into the flight, it wasn't a calm sleep but it was good felt slightly wrong to be in a plane, like me rightful place was on the outside next to the plane not inside of it. The only thing about whole moving thing I enjoyed was when Total was told he would have to be in a cage, he bit three people before they finally got him in there.

When we arrived I found out Jeb had brought a car and it was waiting for us outside of the airport. The car was big and black, it reminded me of the cars government agents have in all of those movies, it made me wondered briefly whether Jeb was still working for the government, he told me he didn't anymore but Jeb's told me alot of things. I chose to file that thought away under 'keep for further assessment' as I got into the car.

I got a lot of time to take in the scenery as we drove to the little town we were going to be living in, I concluded that it was very green. There wasn't much else to say about it. I didn't know if I liked the green or not; on one hand the forest meant I had losts of room but on the other it gave the place a sort of mysterious feel, I mean anyone could be hiding in the trees.

Our new house wasn't anything special, it was on a road where all of the houses were identicle, maybe Jeb would let me paint the house orange.

When we got inside Total was horrified to find that he wasn't getting his own room and then declared the living room was his, I would have complained but after getting out of the cage he'd been a bit agressive.

Walking into my room I was filled with relief, finally some time on my own. I set up the ancient computer my mom had given me in the corner, I knew I probably wouldn't us it much, it was mom's old one and it took forever to turn on. I looked around my room, it was the biggest room I'd ever had, which wasn't saying much, the walls were a faded purple cololur and had cracks and stains on them, the bed and draws looked old and used, there wasn't any other furniture in the room, not that it mattered to me anything was better than the forest floor. The thought made me slightly sad; this room was full of the discarded stuff of the person before me but it was the best room I've ever had, isn't my life great.

I didn't sleep well that night; I haven't slept well since…well you know. The rain seemed to make it worse thought. The constant whooshing of the rain and wind across the roof wouldn't fade into the background.

Thick fog was all I could see out my window and I could feel the claustrophobia creeping up on me. You could never see the sky here; it was like a cage. I shuddered at the thought.

I quickly dressed and ran down stairs. Looking around the kitchen I was shocked Jeb wasn't there.

"He's already gone to work." Total was standing on one of the chairs with his front paws on the table.

"What are you a mind reader now too?" The second I said it I wished I hadn't. Instantly my chest felt like it was being ripped open. Angel. My little girl.

I tried desperately to gain control over my facial expression so that Total wouldn't worry. Should have known he'd see through it.

"You don't have to pretend Max, I'm hurting too."

"I know, I'm sorry for taking you away from…her" I couldn't even say her name. How pathetic.

"Well I guess I should get to school."

I had no car so I had to walk, in the rain. I was not a happy camper.

After walking the 2 miles to the school I walked to the building which had the sign FRONT OFFICE. I looked around and no one else was there, please please let it not be an inset day **(A/N-I'm from England. When I went to school if the school was closed without it being a holiday it was called an inset day, I don't know if that's what it is called in America sorry if its not)**.

Inside, it was brightly lit, and warmer than I'd hoped. The office was small; a little waiting area with padded folding chairs, orange-flecked commercial carpet, notices and awards cluttering the walls, a big clock ticking loudly. Plants grew everywhere in large plastic pots, as if there wasn't enough greenery outside. The room was cut in half by a long counter. There were three desks behind the counter; one of them was managed by a large red-haired woman wearing glasses.

The red-haired woman looked up. "Can I help you?"

"I'm Max Ride." I refused to take Jeb's last name.

I saw immediate awareness light her eyes. It seems I was expected. The thought brought dread.

"Of course" she said. She dug through a pile of documents on her desk till she found what she was looking for. "I have your schedule right here, and a map of the school." She handed me the papers and highlighted the path to my first class. Her eagerness to help was irritating, I just wanted to get on with this as quickly and anonymously as possible.

She wanted to go through my classes with me but I was fed up with her. Before I left she gave me a sheet of paper I needed my teachers to sign. Why? And said she hoped I liked it here in Forks. I tried to smile at her but failed miserably.

I looked around the parking lot to see that students had started to arrive. All in cars. Was I the only one at this school who has to walk?

I walked into the closest building for shelter and took out the map, trying to memorise it. The bell rang. Oh shit. I sucked in a huge breath. I can do this, I lied feebly. No one is going to bite me. I finally exhaled and step out into the rain.

I kept my face pulled back into my hood and moved my shoulders, I didn't get to fly yesterday so I was agitated. I walked to the sidewalk which was crowded with teenagers. Finding the class room was pretty easy.

I took the slip up to a tall, balding man I assumed was the teacher. He gawked at me, making my already limited patience strained. He sent me to the back. I was thankful because the other students couldn't stare if I was at the back of the room. I read through the list the teacher had given me, it was full of names I had never heard of before. I'll have to ask Jeb for help when I get home. I sighed, I'm loosing more and more of my pride every day.

When the bell finally rang a gangly boy with skin problems came up to me.

Why? I don't know. Surely they know that if I wanted to talk to them I would.

"Your Max Ride, aren't you?" he asked.

"Yes"

"Every one thought you'd be a boy." Why would you tell me that? He said it like it was surposed to be charming, as if to say 'oh those feather head'.

"Oh" Was all I said, I didn't want to talk to this boy and I figured responding would only encourage him.

"Where's your next class?" Leave me alone.

"Government. Building six" I know, I know, I responded but it just slipped out. Putting me in a class on government was Jeb's idea of a joke.

"I'm headed towards building four I could show you the way." I don't want your help. I probably needed it but I didn't want it.

"I'm Eric" Good for you.

I didn't say anything. I just kept walking. Unfortunately he followed.

"So, this is a lot different than D.C, huh?"

"Yes"

"How much does it rain there?" I was only there for a few months.

"Less than here"

We walked back around the cafeteria, to the south buildings by the gym. Eric walked me right to the door, though it was clearly marked and I refused to talk anymore.

"Well, good luck." He said as I touched the handle "maybe we'll have some other classes together" he sounded hopeful. Idiot. I just ignored him.

The rest of the morning passed basically the same. One girl insisted I sit with her and her friends at lunch. I didn't know her name and I didn't want to. I just nodded as she prattled on. We sat at a full table with several of her friends, who she introduced me to. I forgot their names as soon as she spoke them. For some reason they seemed impressed she had the courage to speak to me. The boy, Eric, waved at me from across the room.

Then I saw them.

The first thing I felt when I saw them was my fight or flight instinct kicking in. Just by looking at them I knew they were dangerous. Predators. I kept staring, no not staring, analysing.

They were sitting in of the corner of the cafeteria, as far away from where I was sitting possible. There were five of them. They weren't talking, and they weren't eating, though they all had a tray of untouched food.

There were three boys; one was massive with dark hair. Another was less muscular with blond hair. The last was lanky and a red-head. There were also two girls; a tall blond and the other was a tiny girl with short black hair.**(A/N- I would have gone into more detail but you all know what they look like)**

I would have found them attractive if I wasn't so suspicious. They are like those poisonous butterflies that look beautiful but can kill with a single bite.

The only thing they had in common was their really white skin and their eyes, which were black. As I watched the little female got up and walked away. I wondered for a minute if I should ask who they were but just as I was about to whats-her-name spoke.

"There the Cullen's and the Hale's." She said following my gaze.

Suddenly the ginger male one looked over to us, but quickly looked away.

"They all live together with Dr Cullen and his wife. There all _together_. The big guy, Emmett, and the blond girl, Rosalie. And the blond boy, Jasper, and the small girl, Alice. And they _live _together."

I wanted to get all the information I could get so I kept the conversation on them.

"Which ones are the Cullen's? They don't look related."

"Oh, there not. Dr Cullen is really young. They're all adopted. The Hale's are brother and sister, the blonds, they're foster children." That didn't really help me. I needed information that might come in handy if I have to fight them.

"Have they always lived here?"

"No" she said as though it was obvious. "They moved down two years ago from Alaska." Two years? So they didn't come for me. That didn't mean they weren't a threat.

I decided I wouldn't look at them for the rest of lunch but couldn't help asking "Who's the ginger one?"

"That's Edward. He's gorgeous, and he's more of a copper colour," I almost laughed at that "but don't waste your time. He doesn't date. Apparently none of the girls here are good-looking enough for him."

"He turned you down then?" I didn't care if she was insulted; she made it obvious that's what had happened.

The bell finally rang and I walked to biology. Turns out luck wasn't with me today since a quick scan of the room showed the only seat left was next to one of the Cullen's.

I got the teacher to sign the slip and took my seat. I looked over to Cullen to see he had tensed and was staring at me with a confused and hostile expression. Whatever. I turned away.

I could feel his stare and it was seriously starting to piss me off. In anger I turn to him glaring. We were now having a glaring contest. What was wrong with this guy? Why do all red heads hate me? I did notice that he wasn't as lanky as I thought he was, he actually had some muscle.

The bell rang, had it really been an hour, damn I hadn't listened to one word the teacher said. Before I could yell at him he had run away. What a wimp. I collected my stuff and headed to gym.

Jeb had given me strict instructions on how much strength I could use in gym. Before I even got out of the class room a boy blocked my path.

"Aren't you Max Ride?" The boy asked. He was blond, blue-eyed and grinning like a nutter.

"Yes" Didn't I have this conversation with Eric?

"I'm Mike" I don't care.

"Do you need help finding your next class?"

"No"

"What do you have?"

"Gym"

"That's my next class too". So?

He seemed so thrilled, though it wasn't that big of a coincidence in a school this small. We walked to class, well I walked he followed, he was a talker; and I hated it.

I had to sit out since it was my first day. Which sucked I was looking forward to exercising a bit, my limbs hadn't had much of a workout since the day before we came here.

As I was going to give in the slip with the teacher signatures I saw Cullen stomping out of the office. He sent me a glare before getting in his car. Weird.

When I got home I was starving. I wasn't allowed to have a lot of food at school because it would attract attention and I didn't have much breakfast.

"Total, is there any food here?"

"No, you ate it all last night." Damn.

"Is there any money maybe we could order something?"

"Nope. How was school?"

"Hell."

Total signed. "Max you have to try." Total was trying to be an adult, as if I need another one.

"Yeah. I know, but those kids are just so…" I couldn't think of a word. To be honest there wasn't really anything wrong with them. "Never mind."

I watched TV with Total until Jeb came home. And guess what? He brought take out!

"So how was your first day at school?" he asked.

"fmhhmfmd" Was my answer

"Max. Swallow then speak."

I swallowed the huge piece of burger that was in my mouth and tried again.

"Fine." Jeb just smiled and shook his head, I hate it when he does that, it makes me feel like...a teenager.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N- Really short chapter, more of a brief look into Max's mind.**

Chapter three

That night I went flying. It was like I had been suffocating and only now could I breathe.

I wish I could see the stars instead of the dark grey clouds that filled the sky, then it would be perfect.

I lost myself in the feeling of my powerful wings working, the feeling of the wind against my face and feathers, and just how free I feel right now.

No children who depend on me, no confusing boys, no pressure. It was bliss. It was the first time since the incident that I was slightly glad it had happened, I quickly pushed that thought out of my head; how could I be glad? Even after everything that had happened those thoughts made me feel like _I _was betraying _them_. How insane was that?

I knew my peace couldn't last.

It was getting late and I had school tomorrow. Stupid school.

Such a shame.

I turned and started back to the house with a feeling of sadness knowing tonight would be another awful nights sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N-this is the first part of Midnight Sun with a few changes, so if you've read it don't bother reading this. If you're wondering why I've done this, it's because I wanted to do Edward's POV and I'm lazy. I wanted to make sure you know Max is not Edward's singer; he dislikes her for a different reason which you will find out if you read. **

Edward's POV

High school

Or was purgatory the right word? If there _was_ any way to atone for my sins, this ought to count towards the tally in some measure. The tedium was not something I grew used to; every day seemed more impossibly monotonous than the last.

I stared at the cracks running through the plaster in the far corner of the cafeteria, imagining patterns into them that were not there. It was one way to tune out the voices that babbled like the gush of a river inside my head.

Several hundred of these voices I ignored out of boredom.

When it came to the human mind, I'd heard it all before and then some. Today, all thoughts were consumed with the trivial drama of a new addition to the small student body here. It took so little to work them all up. I'd seen the new face repeated in thought after though from every angle. Just an ordinary human girl. The excitement over her arrival was tiresomely predictable-like flashing a shiny object at a child. Half the sheep-like males were already imagining themselves in love with her, just because she was something new to look at. I tried harder to tune them out.

Only four voices did I block out of courtesy rather than distaste: my family, my two brothers and two sisters, who were used to the lack of privacy in my presence that they rarely gave it a thought. I gave them the privacy I could. I tried not to listen if I could help it.

Try as I may still…I knew.

Rosalie was thinking, as usual, about herself. She'd caught sight of her profile in the reflection of someone's glasses, and she was mulling over her own perfection. Rosalie's mind was a shallow pool with few surprises.

Emmett was fuming over a wrestling match he'd lost to Jasper during the night. It would take all of his limited patience to make it to the end of the school day to orchestrate a rematch. I never really felt intrusive hearing Emmett's thoughts, because he never thought one thing that he would not say aloud or put into action. Perhaps I only felt guilty reading the others minds because I knew there were things there that they wouldn't want me to know. If Rosalie's mind was a shallow pool, then Emmett's was a lake with no shadow, glass clear.

And Jasper was… suffering. I suppressed a sigh.

_Edward._ Alice called my name in her head, and had my attention at once.

It was the same as having my name called aloud. I was glad my name had fallen out of style lately-it had been annoying; anytime anyone thought of any Edward, my head turned automatically…

My head didn't turn now. Alice and I were good at these private conversations. It was rare any one caught us. I kept my eyes on the lines in the plaster.

_How is he holding up?_ She asked me.

I frowned, just a small change in the set of my mouth. Nothing that would tip off the others. I could easily be frowning out of boredom.

Alice's mental tone was alarmed now, and I saw in her mind she was watching Jasper in her peripheral vision. _Is there any danger? _She searched ahead, into the immediate future, skimming through visions of monotony for the source behind my frown.

I turned my head slowly to the left, as if looking at the bricks of the wall, sighed, and then to the right, back to the cracks in the ceiling. Only alice knew I was shaking my head.

She relaxed. _Let me know if it gets too bad._

I moved only my eyes, up to the ceiling, and back down.

_Thanks for doing this._

I was glad I couldn't answer her out loud. What would I say? 'My pleasure'? it was hardly that. I didn't enjoy listening to Jaspers struggles. Was it really necessary to experiment like this? Wouldn't it be a safer path if we just admit he might not be able to handle the thirst the way the rest of us could, and not to push his limits? Why flirt with disaster?

It had been two weeks since our last hunt. Jasper was dangerous right now.

_Edward Cullen._

Reflex reaction. I turned to the sound of my name being called, though it wasn't being called, just thought. I looked to lock eyes with the new girl, Max Ride. Strange name for a girl. She was tall and slim with messy blond hair. With my improved vision I could see she had scars down her neck and for some reason defensive wounds on her knuckles.

I was expecting her to have an expression of awe, it was a look my family had become used to but she looked…suspicious?

_Of course she's already crushing on the Cullen's. _The thoughts continued.

Now I recognised the 'voice'; it was Jessica Stanley- it had been a while since she had last bothered me with her internal chatter. What a relief it had been when she gotten over her misplaced infatuation. It used to be near impossible to escape her constant, ridiculous daydreams. I'd wished, at the time, that I could explain to her what would happen if my lips, and the teeth behind them, had gotten anywhere near her. That would have silenced those annoying fantasies. The thought of her reaction made me smile.

_Fat lot of good it will do her. _Jessica went on. _She's really not even pretty. I don't know why Eric is staring so much…or Mike._

She winced internally at the last name. Mike Newton was her new infatuation. I listened as she gave the new girl the information on my family.

_Every ones looking at me today, too _Jessica's thoughts continued, smugly. _Isn't it lucky Max has two classes with me… I bet Mike will want to ask me- _She's a vain, selfcentred sort of person and I tried to block the insane chatter out of my head before the petty and the trivial could drive me mad.

"Jessica Stanley is giving the new Ride girl the gossip one the Cullen's" I told Emmett to distract myself.

He chuckled under his breath. _I hope she's made it good_ he thought.

"Rather unimaginative, actually. Just the barest hint of scandal. Not an ounce of horror. I'm a little disappointed."

_And the new girl? Is she disappointed in the gossip as well?_

I listened to hear what the new girl, Max, thought. I heard nothing, though I listened close beside where Jessica's frivolous internal monologue continued to gush. It was as if there was no one sitting beside her. How peculiar, had the girl moved? Checking on what my extra 'hearing' could tell me- it wasn't something I ever had to do.

I turned my head to look back at the blond girl. She was sitting right where she had been.

Thinking about us, too, would be natural.

But I couldn't hear a whisper. I looked closer at her face to see if I could read her that way but she wasn't looking anymore; her stiff jaw would suggest she was being defiant. I was disapointed to find difiance was all I could tell from her face, she was an anomaly.

I felt a moment of unease.

This was nothing I'd ever encountered before. Was there something wrong with me? I felt exactly the same as I always did. Worried, I listened harder.

All the voices I'd been blocking were suddenly shouting in my head.

…_wonder what music she likes…maybe I could mention that new CD…_Mike Newton was thinking, two tables away- fixated on Max Ride.

_Look at him staring at her. Isn't it enough that he has half the girls in school waiting for him to…_Eric Yorkie was thinking sulphurous thoughts, also revolving around the girl.

…_so disgusting. You'd think she was famous or something…even Edward _Cullen_, staring… _Lauren Mallory was so jealous that her face, by all rights, should be dark jade in colour. _And Jessica, flaunting her new best friend. What a joke…_

…_I bet everyone has asked her that. But I'd like to talk to her. I'll think of a more original question…_Ashley Dowling mused.

… _maybe she'll be in my Spanish…_June Richardson hoped.

…_tons left to do tonight. Trig and the English test. I hope my mom…_Angel Weber, a quiet girl, whose thoughts were unusually kind, was the only one at the table who wasn't obsessed with this Max.

I could hear them all. Hear every insignificant thing they were thinking as it passed through their minds. But nothing at all from the new student.

And, of course, I could hear what the girl said when she spoke to Jessica. I didn't have to read minds to hear her low, clear voice on the far side on the long room.

"Who's the ginger one?" Ginger?

If I'd had time to hope that hearing her voice would help me pinpoint the tone of her thoughts, lost somewhere I couldn't access them, I was instantly disappointed. Usually, people's thoughts came to them a similar pitch as their physical voices. But this stern, bored voice was unfamiliar, not one of the hundreds of thoughts bouncing around the room, I was sure of that. Entirely new.

"That's Edward. He's gorgeous, and he's more of a copper colour" She added as is she'd been offended somehow. "but don't waste your time. He doesn't date. Apparently none of the girls here aren't good-looking enough for him" she sniffed.

"He turned you down them?"

I turned to hide my smile. Beneath the transient humour, I felt a strange impulse, one I did not clearly understand. It had something to do with the vicious edge to Jessica's thoughts that the new girl was unaware of…I felt the strange urge to step between them, to shield this Max Ride from the darker workings of Jessica's mind. What an odd thing to feel. Trying to ferret out the motivations behind the impulse, I examined the new girl one more time.

Perhaps it was just some long buried protective instinct- the strong for the weak.

The girl looked more fragile than her classmates. She was a lot thinner than the people around her, her limbs were long and slender they looked as if you could easily snap them, that added to the scars she gave the impression of being delicate.

"Shall we?" Rosalie murmured, interrupting my focus.

I looked away from the girl in relief. I didn't want to continue to fail at this-it irritated me.

"So, is the new girl afraid of us yet?" Emmett asked.

I shrugged. He wasn't interested enough to press for more information.

I headed off to my junior level biology class, preparing my mind for the tedium. I was doubtful Mr Banner would manage to pull out anything in his lecture that would surprise someone holding two graduate degrees in medicine.

In the classroom, I settled into my chair, books spilled across the table. I was the only student who had a table to himself. The human weren't smart enough to know they feared me, but their survival instincts were enough to keep them away.

Max walked through the door. Still, from the place where she stood, nothing.

The only spare seat was next to me, so after talking to the teacher she made her way to my table.

Once she was within five feet of my thoughts started to blur. What was happening? Who was this girl and how did she reek havoc on my mind.

I was becoming more and more dizzy by the second. Is this how humans felt before they passed out?

What was causing this anyway? Her smell? I tried to concentrate on her scent; it was strange to say the least. It smelt synthetic with a hint of …bird?

I moved to be as far as I could from her, it didn't help. I hoped I was glaring at her but I couldn't be sure. The only good thing was I could no longer hear the ridiculous thoughts of the students.

What was wrong with this girl?

I needed to get away from her.

I continued to stare, when about half way through the lesson she turned and glared back. We held eye contact until the bell rang, when I ran out, barely trying to maintain human speed.

I couldn't go to my next class, so I hid in my car. I didn't like to think of myself having to hide. How cowardly that sounded. But it was unquestionably the case now. What had happened back there? I couldn't be around that girl, that much was certain.

I waited until the end of the day and went to the office. I only had one class with her so it shouldn't be hard to switch.

"Mrs Cope?"

The woman with the unnaturally red hair looked up and her eyes widened. It always caught them off guard, the little markers they didn't understand no matter how many times they'd seen one of us.

"Oh" she gasped, a little flustered. She smoothed her shirt. _Silly,_ she thought to herself. _He's almost young enough to be my son. Too young to think of that way…_

"Hello, Edward. What can I do for you?" her eyelashes fluttered behind her think glasses.

Pervy but necissary. But I knew how to be charming when I wanted to be. It was easy, since I knew instantly how any tone or gesture was taken.

I leaned forward, meeting her gaze as if I were staring into her depthless, small brown eyes. Her thoughts were already in a flutter. This should be simple.

"I was wondering if you could help me with my schedule" I said in a soft voice.

I heard the tempo of her heart increase.

"Of course, Edward. How can I help you?" _too young, too young, _she chanted to herself. Wrong, of course. I was older than her grandfather. But according to my drivers licence, she was right.

"I was wondering if I could move from my biology class to a senior level science? Physics perhaps?"

"Is there a problem with Mr Banner, Edward?"

"Not at all, it's just that I've already studied this material…"

"In that accelerated school you all went to in Alaska, right" her thin lips pursed as she considered this. _They should all be in college. I've heard the teachers complain. Perfect four point ohs, never a hesitation with a response, never a wrong answer on a test- like they've found some way to cheat in every subject. Mr Varner would rather believe that anyone cheating than think a student was smarter than him…I'll bet their mother tutors them…_"actually, Edward, physics is pretty much full right now. Mr Banner hates to have more than twenty-five students in a class-"

"I wouldn't be any trouble."

_Of course not. Not a perfect Cullen._

"Could I drop the class then? I could use the period for independent study."

"Drop biology?" Her mouth fell open. _That's crazy. How hard is it to sit through a subject you already know? There _must_ be a problem with Mr Banner. I wonder if I should talk to Bob about it. _"You wouldn't have enough credit to graduate."

"I'll catch up next year." Why won't she just do it? I was starting to get annoyed.

"Maybe you should talk to your parents about it"

This is pointless. "Fine" I said as I stomped out.

When I see Max outside I can't help but glare. I need to stay away from her, even if it means leaving my family.


End file.
